Okay here's the deal guys. I'm a full time art student, and am currently taking ALL studio classes. Therefore, having a 'normal' job is not really possible for me. My emphasis for my undergrad is photography, but I actually focus on metalworking, and sculpture.

I have been wanting to start doing pet portraits, and also start making dog tags. (Fetching tags, ID tags, human jewelry, etc.)

If I were to do so, would anyone be willing to purchase any?

I'm comfortable working in any drawing medium, (Graphite, prisma colors, pastels, etc.) and am confident in my acrylic painting as long as the subject is not too terribly detailed. All I would need for portraits would be a high-resolution photo e-mailed to me.

The tags I would like to make would vary between copper and sterling silver. Eventually, I would also love to make treat containers, urns, dog dishes, decorative pieces, or anything copper would allow.

The main reason for wanting to do this is to help us with the extra expenses of having Boss and Ollie right now. If I had enough requests I could make an etsy store, I just don't want to go through with that if there won't be any kind of demand.

Those of you who are my facebook friends have seen some of my mobile uploads of my most recent work. I'm currently in the process of actually photographing those, and older pieces. I will try to make some sample tags tomorrow when my metals class is over, and get photos up as soon as I can.

If anyone is interested please respond to this thread or PM me with an idea of what you might be interested in, and we can brainstorm together.

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

depending on the cost of the tags, I might be interested. In better financial times I'd be curious to see the rest but I'm not even gonna let my brain go there right now

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
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"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07

SO! I attempted a Degan tag last night in the studio. Unfortunately the only alphabet stamp set we have at school is a tiny, 'typewriter' font. So, I'm going to see if I can find a decent set for a decent price.

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

K I created an album with all of the things I have photographs of so far. Like I said, in class we're actually doing real photographing of all our work so I will have better quality pictures soon. So I apologize for them all being cell phone shots right now.

Two of my most recent metal pieces my teacher still has so I won't have photos of those until later. I am going to dig through my studio and see if I have anything else I might have missed.

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
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"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07

I think if you are going to make tags, try to make them your own.Being in the pet product business, yes, things can only vary so much, but make them your own even if you draw inspiration from other items you see or own.

I'm ALWAYS interested in dog tags, but if they are not durable and thick, I honestly and personally will not spend money on them. I have two pups who love to play with each other, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot always keep them from chomping on each others' tags during their play sessions.So, a tag is going to take some wear and tear and a sure beating in my house.

But great customer service goes a VERY LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG way in this business.

And I would be willing to spend money on a quality product. I mean, I cannot spend $100 on a dog tag, so you have to be somewhat reasonable, but remember, DO NOT under-price yourself. People will always being looking for the best price, but most people want quality. And if you undercut others too much, then you are undercutting yourself and your talent. And you're screwing the market, too, if you do that.

Good luck, and when you create a tag, let us know! I'd LOVE to see what you come up with.

Thanks for the advice Rebecca! I will definitely be posting photos as soon as I have some made. Joyce is my new hero and is sending me a set of metal stamps she just happened to have laying around. I can't wait for them to get here! Once they do I have a feeling I will be stamping like a madwoman! Also, I think I am getting an acetylene torch around Christmas time from my dad so then I will be able to do my metal working from home. Right now I'm limited to the studio at school if I need to do any annealing (which is necessary for stamping). Once I have that set up I feel like I can really do this for real! Thanks for all the encouragement! I will be keeping you guys updated on the tags, and also any other work I've got going on.

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

My Dad passed away 14 years ago. He made designs on leather belts as a hobby. I knew that SOMEDAY, SOMEONE would need them, so I kept them. I am thrilled that Brittany is going to keep Dad going, so to speak.